How we choose what to review
We start from caregiver use cases, not brand catalogs. For example, "What's the best fall detection for someone who refuses to wear a pendant?" — and we work backwards from that question to candidate devices, regardless of brand visibility or affiliate payout.
A device only enters the review pool if it's:
- Currently sold in the US market with documented support;
- Independently verifiable (we can buy it, demo it, or get firsthand testing data);
- Plausibly relevant to one of our six coverage pillars.
Scoring criteria
Every device is scored on five dimensions, weighted as follows:
| Criterion | Weight | What we measure |
|---|---|---|
| Safety / detection accuracy | 30% | False positive rate, missed events, response latency |
| Ease of use | 25% | Setup time, daily wear comfort, charging behavior |
| Maintainability | 15% | Battery life, firmware update cadence, durability |
| Total cost of ownership | 20% | Hardware + 3-year subscription costs, hidden fees |
| Customer support | 10% | Response time, escalation paths, cancellation experience |
Data sources
- Manufacturer specifications — verified against actual device behavior whenever possible.
- Third-party clinical and consumer testing — peer-reviewed papers, FDA filings, certified labs.
- User reviews aggregated across multiple platforms — we look for repeated complaints, not isolated outliers.
- Industry reports — AARP, Consumer Reports, occupational therapy publications.
- Caregiver interviews — qualitative input from families and senior care professionals.
Conflict of interest policy
We participate in affiliate programs, which means we earn commissions on some purchases made through our links. Three things are non-negotiable:
- Affiliate commission rates do not influence ranking order or scoring weights.
- We refuse paid placements, sponsored editorial, and "review for product" arrangements.
- Any device with a material conflict (e.g., gifted from a brand we have an ongoing commercial relationship with) is disclosed inline in the review.
Update policy
Every published review carries a "last verified" date. We re-verify on at least a six-month cadence, plus immediately when a device receives a meaningful firmware update, price change, or end-of-life announcement. Outdated reviews are flagged with a notice rather than silently left up.